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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about West Miami (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.

As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for West Miami. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Name Variations for West Miami ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for West Miami: W. Miami

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

West Miami is located in Miami-Dade County.

To see how the shape of Florida's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Miami-Dade County: Broward, Collier & Monroe.

Below are the counties that are near West Miami. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to West Miami:

  • Miami-Dade County     (The home county of West Miami)
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Miami, with the one closest to West Miami listed first.
    • Coral Terrace
      (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coral Terrace have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coral Terrace
      • Coral Terrace is located in Miami-Dade County
    • Ludlam
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Westchester
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westchester have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westchester
      • Westchester is located in Miami-Dade County
    • Coral Way Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coral Way Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coral Way Village
      • Coral Way Village is located in Miami-Dade County
    • Virginia Gardens
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Virginia Gardens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virginia Gardens
      • Virginia Gardens is located in Miami-Dade County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,345 people
    • South Miami
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Coral Gables
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Glenvar Heights
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenvar Heights
      • Glenvar Heights is located in Miami-Dade County
    • Fountainebleau
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fountainebleau have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountainebleau
      • Fountainebleau is located in Miami-Dade County
    • Miami Springs
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Olympia Heights
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Sunset
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Sweetwater
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sweetwater have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sweetwater
      • Sweetwater is located in Miami-Dade County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 20,747 people
  • Broward County
    • The following are listed by their distance from West Miami, with the one closest to West Miami listed first.
    • Miramar
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Miami Gardens
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miami Gardens
      • Miami Gardens is located in Broward County
    • Utopia
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Utopia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utopia
      • Utopia is located in Broward County
    • Lake Forest
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Forest have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Forest
      • Lake Forest is located in Broward County
    • West Park
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Park
      • West Park is located in Broward County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 15,038 people
    • Carver Ranches
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carver Ranches have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carver Ranches
      • Carver Ranches is located in Broward County
    • Pembroke Pines
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Pembroke Park
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • West Hollywood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Hallandale Beach
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Hallandale
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hallandale came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hallandale
      • Hallandale is located in Broward County
    • Royal Palm Ranches
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Royal Palm Ranches have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Royal Palm Ranches
      • Royal Palm Ranches is located in Broward County
    • Hollywood
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to West Miami, see our County-by-County Page for West Miami.

Cemeteries Near West Miami ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Miami.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

If not found below, our Cemetery List for West Miami covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from West Miami, with the one closest to West Miami listed first.

  • Graceland Memorial Park
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Graceland Memorial Park
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Graceland Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Flagler Memorial Park
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Flagler Memorial Park
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Flagler Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Nebo Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Nebo Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Nebo Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Woodlawn Park Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woodlawn Park Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Woodlawn Park Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Star of David Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Star of David Memorial Park
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Star of David Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Miami Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Charlotte Jane Memorial Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Charlotte Jane Memorial Park
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Charlotte Jane Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Evergreen Memorial Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Lakeside Memorial Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lakeside Memorial Park
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lakeside Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lincoln Evergreen Memorial Park
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lincoln Evergreen Memorial Park
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lincoln Evergreen Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lincoln Memorial Park
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lincoln Memorial Park
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lincoln Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Our Lady of Mercy Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Our Lady of Mercy Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Our Lady of Mercy Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (28 more) ...
    • City Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the City Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the City Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Miami City Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Miami City Cemetery
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Miami City Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Miami.
      • The Miami City Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Biscayne Park Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #71852 <5>
    • Woodlawn Park Cemetery South
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<6>

While we didn't find West Miami in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of West Miami.

These communities are listed based on their distance from West Miami, with the one closest to West Miami listed first.

  • Miami
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miami
    • Miami is located in Miami-Dade County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 471,525 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Miami <2>
  • Cutler
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cutler have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cutler
    • Cutler is located in Miami-Dade County

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around West Miami. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Miami.

Newspapers Published in West Miami ...

An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.

Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 265 newspapers that have been published in the area around West Miami.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Miami, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Miami.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to West Miami:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for West Miami. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Miami-Dade County: www.miamidade.gov/

The official website for State of Florida: https://www.myflorida.com/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>If we found a location and have questions about the accuracy of our information, we will simply say that the marker is 'in the vicinity'. We are not confident about the location and the position of our marker is only a rough guide. If we have too many doubts about the location, we will not include it in our database.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- West Miami) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in West Miami. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 25.7578, Longitude: -80.2969       In this case, the coordinates for West Miami have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<6>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about West Miami, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Mar 2025